This weekend, May 14--15, I'll be winging my way to Portland, Oregon to teach at the Oregon chapter of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators Spring Conference. The title of the conference is "Blast Off to New Horizons". To see who is speaking, I typed in the entire line-up of authors, editors, illustrators, agents, and art directors above--or you can visit the site at www.scbwior.com for a brochure.

My workshops will focus on the writing of picture books. Many people harbor the mistaken notion that because they are short, picture books are easy to write. Actually, because they are short, picture books are a challenging art form--like a miniature painting or a sonnet. There are rules! Learning the rules--and how to be creative within them--is at the heart of writing a successful picture book.

If you are an aspiring children's author, I hope you'll join me, and the rest of our illustrious crew, as you launch your writing career!